yogsoth-ai Necessity-Sufficiency Strategy
PNS/PS framework: classify each factor by its causal role — necessary, sufficient, both, or neither.
Method
- causal-claim-extraction identifies all causal claims
- factor-enumeration lists candidate causes
- necessity-evaluation tests: would conclusion fail WITHOUT this factor? (PN)
- sufficiency-evaluation tests: would this factor ALONE produce conclusion? (PS)
- single-factor-removal provides evidence for necessity judgments
- load-bearing-identification classifies factors into quadrants
Classification Quadrants
- Necessary + Sufficient: Load-bearing walls (removal collapses conclusion)
- Necessary + Not Sufficient: Required but not enough alone
- Not Necessary + Sufficient: Redundant paths to conclusion
- Neither: Decorative factors (safe to vary)
Budget Table
| Parameter | S | M | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factors tested | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| Necessity evaluations | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Sufficiency evaluations | 3 | 6 | 12 |
Orchestration
causal-claim-extraction → factor-enumeration
→ [for each factor]:
necessity-evaluation (PN score)
+ sufficiency-evaluation (PS score)
+ single-factor-removal (supporting evidence)
→ load-bearing-identification (quadrant classification)
Subagents
- causal-claim-extraction (claim identification)
- factor-enumeration (candidate listing)
- necessity-evaluation (PN scoring)
- sufficiency-evaluation (PS scoring)
- single-factor-removal (evidence generation)
- load-bearing-identification (classification)
Available Tactics
Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.
| Tactic | When to use |
|---|---|
| causal-necessity-testing | Tactic: Extract causal claims, evaluate probability of necessity (PN) and sufficiency (PS) for each, classify into necessity-sufficiency quadrants. |
| systematic-factor-ablation | Tactic: List all factors, remove one at a time, assess conclusion stability, rank factors by load-bearing importance. |
Available SOPs
Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.
| SOP | When to use |
|---|---|
| causal-claim-extraction | Extract all causal claims (X causes Y, X leads to Y, X enables Y) from an artifact, producing a structured list of cause-effect pairs. |
| factor-enumeration | List all key factors, conditions, and assumptions that support or enable the artifact's conclusion. |
| load-bearing-identification | Identify which factors are "load-bearing walls" — factors whose removal would collapse the conclusion. |
| necessity-evaluation | Evaluate the probability of necessity (PN) for a causal factor — would the conclusion fail if this factor were absent? |
| single-factor-removal | Remove one specified factor from the artifact's support structure and reason about how the conclusion changes. |
| sufficiency-evaluation | Evaluate the probability of sufficiency (PS) for a causal factor — would this factor alone be enough to produce the conclusion? |